1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which has a circuit including a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as a TFT) using a semiconductor film. The present invention relates to a film deposition apparatus used in a process of forming a thin film by a plasma CVD method in manufacturing a semiconductor device. The present invention further relates to a film deposition method with the use of the film deposition apparatus. For example, the present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device typified by a solar cell and a sensor, an electro-optical device typified by a liquid crystal display panel, or an electronic device equipped with a light-emitting device as a part.
In this specification, a semiconductor device refers to all types of devices which can function by using semiconductor characteristics. An electro-optical device, a light-emitting device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device are all included in the category of semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
With miniaturization of semiconductor elements, individual processes require high precision. In semiconductor manufacturing processes, a reaction-product film which is formed by reacting a source gas by various methods (plasma, heat, light, or the like) is deposited over a substrate to be processed which is arranged in a chamber of a film deposition apparatus. In particular, suppression of particles generated in the film deposition apparatus is a big problem, and keeping the inside of the chamber clean is important to stabilize processes.
The present applicant discloses, in Patent Document 1, a substrate processing apparatus in which a plurality of processes to form a thin film over a substrate or the like is successively performed with airtightness being kept.
A film deposition apparatus using a plasma CVD method is formed of a plurality of members, to which a fluidic device such as a valve or a pump is coupled, to prevent gas distribution to the outside by using a sealing material or a sealing member for an airtight structure for a shaft seal portion, a pipe flange connection portion, or the like.
A rubber o-ring is employed to prevent entry of outside air to the chamber and to keep the pressure constant. In addition, an hollow metal o-ring is sometimes used, which is formed in such a way that a metal pipe is cut to a certain length and formed into a ring shape, and both ends of the ring shape is welded.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. H7-122621.